Olympians face Owls record QB Underhill

By Ramon Scott
Updated: September 10, 2026

2026 COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL

No. 10 Mesa takes unbeaten record to Citrus, where former RBV star Underhill just rewrote Owls’ record book

No. 10 SAN DIEGO MESA (2-0) at CITRUS (0-2)
Citrus College Stadium | Glendora
Saturday, Sept. 12 | 6 p.m.

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

GLENDORA — San Diego Mesa’s reward for defeating one of California’s traditional community college powers is a road game against the state’s most productive passing combination.

The newly minted No. 10 Olympians visit winless Citrus on Saturday, one week after Lorenzo Flores’ 42-yard field goal as time expired lifted Mesa to a 20-19 upset of then-No. 5 Mt. San Antonio.

Citrus carries a misleading record into the matchup.

The Owls fell to 0-2 after losing to No. 3 Saddleback, 39-36, but nearly erased a 29-point fourth-quarter deficit behind record-setting performances from quarterback Connor Underhill and receiver Lorenza Simmons.

Underhill is a Rancho Buena Vista High alumnus, returning to face a Mesa program featuring numerous players from throughout the region. The former Longhorn now directs the SCFA’s most productive passing attack after setting the Citrus single-game record with 478 yards against Saddleback.

Underhill threw for a Citrus-record 478 yards. Simmons caught passes for a school-record 301 yards and finished with another program record, 505 all-purpose yards.

Citrus scored 29 points during the fourth quarter and recovered from a 36-7 deficit to trail by only seven with more than six minutes remaining. Saddleback needed a 50-yard field goal with 1:31 left—and then had to recover an onside kick—to finally secure the victory.

The Owls have lost twice, but their ability to score from almost anywhere makes them a dangerous assignment for a Mesa team coming off an emotional, final-play victory.

MESA’S SECONDARY MOVES INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

Mesa’s greatest challenge will be containing Simmons.

The sophomore scored on receptions covering 82, 52 and 64 yards against Saddleback. He also returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown during Citrus’ fourth-quarter surge.

Simmons broke the school’s single-game receiving record by 121 yards, matched the program mark with three touchdown receptions and established another record with his 505 all-purpose yards.

Underhill surpassed Citrus’ previous single-game passing record of 456 yards and enters the week leading the SCFA at 336.5 passing yards per game. He also shares the association lead with seven touchdown passes.

The numbers create an obvious contrast.

Mesa limited Mt. SAC to 153 passing yards and did not allow a completion longer than 16 yards. Mounties quarterbacks JP Mialovski and Malachi Jones combined to complete 19 of 29 attempts without a touchdown.

That defensive performance helped the Olympians remain close while their own offense struggled with sacks and turnovers.

However, Mt. SAC’s offense was built around balance, possession and its running game. Citrus operates differently. The Owls are willing to place the game almost entirely in Underhill’s hands and attack vertically.

Mesa’s defensive backs cannot allow Simmons free releases or lose track of him after the catch. The Olympians also must tackle cleanly because much of Simmons’ record-setting production came after he escaped the initial defender.

Beau Caliendo supplied Mesa’s biggest defensive plays against Mt. SAC, recording a 13-yard sack and intercepting Jones. Kealii Sione led the Olympians with six tackles, while Elijah Peau made five stops and two tackles for loss.

Mesa finished with two sacks and eight tackles for loss. More pressure may be required Saturday to prevent Underhill from repeatedly extending plays downfield.

TAYLOR SHOWS HIS RESILIENCE

Freshman quarterback Diesel Taylor did not produce a flawless performance in Mesa’s upset.

He threw two interceptions, was sacked five times and finished with minus-28 rushing yards after the losses were applied.

Taylor still delivered when Mesa needed him most.

With the Olympians trailing 19-10, he directed an 11-play, 58-yard touchdown drive and connected with Jayden Chanel on a 14-yard scoring pass. After Mesa’s defense forced a punt, Taylor moved the offense another 54 yards to position Flores for the winning kick.

Taylor completed 24 of 45 passes for 272 yards and demonstrated an important quality for a freshman quarterback: mistakes did not prevent him from handling the final two pressure possessions.

Mesa’s 44-6 opening victory over East Los Angeles revealed Taylor’s arm talent. The comeback against Mt. SAC showed his resolve.

Citrus presents another opportunity for him to develop.

Saddleback scored 39 points against the Owls, but the total does not fully reflect the performance of the Citrus defense. The Bobcats returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown, returned the second-half kickoff 94 yards for another score and added a safety.

Saddleback finished with only 305 yards of offense, including 161 through the air.

Mesa cannot assume opportunities will come easily merely because Citrus allowed 39 points.

McCANN GIVES MESA ITS OWN BIG-PLAY ANSWER

Citrus will have to account for an emerging receiving threat on the opposite side.

Colin McCann caught eight passes for a career-high 141 yards against Mt. SAC. He averaged 17.6 yards per reception, and his 50-yard catch was the longest offensive play by either team.

McCann accounted for more than half of Mesa’s passing yardage and repeatedly generated the field position the Olympians could not create with their running game.

Alexander Villanueva also became an important part of the passing attack, catching six passes for 53 yards while rushing six times for 36 yards. His 26-yard run accounted for most of Mesa’s limited ground production.

Chanel has scored three receiving touchdowns in two games. He caught two in the victory at East Los Angeles—one from Taylor and another from former Helix quarterback Ryland Jessee—before scoring during the comeback against Mt. SAC.

Mesa’s receivers should have opportunities, particularly if Citrus commits additional defenders to generating pressure.

BOTH TEAMS NEED MORE FROM THE RUNNING GAME

Saturday could develop into one of the weekend’s most pass-heavy games.

Mesa finished with only 27 net rushing yards on 28 attempts against Mt. SAC. Citrus was statistically worse, closing its loss to Saddleback with minus-8 rushing yards.

Sacks contributed heavily to both totals, but neither team established enough conventional rushing production to discourage the opposing pass rush.

Mesa has demonstrated greater potential on the ground. Villanueva and Isaiah Jackson both scored rushing touchdowns in the opening victory, while Devin Cerda scored from 1 yard against Mt. SAC.

The Olympians do not need to become a run-first team. They do need enough production to keep Citrus from attacking Taylor on every obvious passing down.

Citrus faces the same concern. If the Owls become entirely dependent on Underhill, Mesa’s defensive front can concentrate on pressure while the secondary places additional attention on Simmons.

TURNOVERS MAY SEPARATE THE TEAMS

Both teams committed three turnovers last week.

Mesa survived its mistakes because its defense repeatedly limited the damage, including a fourth-and-goal stop at the 3-yard line. Citrus was not as fortunate. Underhill’s interception was returned 100 yards for a touchdown, contributing directly to the deficit the Owls nearly overcame.

The teams combined for 750 passing yards but only 19 net rushing yards in their Week 2 games.

That combination suggests possessions—and takeaways—will be especially valuable.

Mesa demonstrated that it can win an imperfect game against elite competition. Citrus demonstrated that it can turn a lopsided game into a one-possession contest within a matter of minutes.

The Olympians cannot afford to spend Saturday admiring their rise in the rankings.

MATCHUP SNAPSHOT

	San Diego Mesa	Citrus
Record	2-0	0-2
Coaches poll	No. 10	Receiving votes
JCGridiron Dirty 30	No. 11	Not ranked
Massey rating	No. 11	No. 41
Massey win probability	74%	26%
Massey projected score	34	24

FEATURE MATCHUP

MESA SECONDARY vs. LORENZA SIMMONS

Simmons’ performance against Saddleback:

301 receiving yards
505 all-purpose yards
Three touchdown receptions
85-yard kickoff-return touchdown
Scoring receptions of 82, 52 and 64 yards
Two Citrus single-game records and one record tied

Mesa’s pass defense against Mt. SAC:

153 passing yards allowed
No passing touchdowns
No completion longer than 16 yards
One interception
Two sacks
4.1 yards allowed per offensive play

PLAYERS TO WATCH

SAN DIEGO MESA

Diesel Taylor: Threw for 272 yards and directed Mesa’s two decisive fourth-quarter possessions.
Colin McCann: Caught eight passes for 141 yards against Mt. SAC.
Jayden Chanel: Has three touchdown receptions through two games.
Lorenzo Flores: Made both field-goal attempts last week, including the 42-yard winner.
Beau Caliendo: Recorded a sack and an interception in the upset.
Alexander Villanueva: Produced 89 yards from scrimmage against Mt. SAC.

CITRUS

Connor Underhill: The San Diego County product from Rancho Buena Vista High set the Citrus record with 478 passing yards against Saddleback and enters the week leading the SCFA at 336.5 yards per game.
Lorenza Simmons: Established program records with 301 receiving yards and 505 all-purpose yards.
Anthony “Jedi” Hernandez: Caught a touchdown with 12 seconds remaining last week.
Elijah Ybanez: Led Citrus with nine tackles and 1½ tackles for loss.
Aidan Yamazaki: Recorded eight tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss.

PREDICTION

Massey projects a 34-24 Mesa victory, but Citrus possesses too much passing firepower to treat this as a routine assignment for the newly ranked Olympians.

Underhill and Simmons should produce points. The larger question is whether Citrus can protect its quarterback, generate any rushing support and avoid the turnovers that helped create its large deficit against Saddleback.

Mesa has the more balanced roster, the stronger early-season résumé and the confidence created by defeating Mt. SAC under considerable pressure. Taylor also has multiple receiving options, while Citrus’ offense was extraordinarily dependent upon one record-setting combination last week.

The Olympians should survive another challenging fourth quarter, but this one may require more points than expected.

SAN DIEGO MESA 38, CITRUS 31

EastCountySports.com

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